Seahawks Rule Out QB Sam Darnold for Cardinals Game; Drew Lock to Start

Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald announced Wednesday that quarterback Sam Darnold will miss Sunday's Week 9 game against the Arizona Cardinals because of a quad injury. Macdonald said Darnold also cracked a rib on Seattle's first offensive series of Monday's 34-17 Week 8 loss to the Chicago Bears, which dropped the defending Super Bowl champions to 4-4. The quad problem, suffered late in that game, is what sidelines him. Darnold is week-to-week and will not go on injured reserve, and Macdonald said he could return in Week 10 against the Raiders, before Seattle's Week 11 bye. Backup Drew Lock will start, his second start of the year after Darnold's Week 1 glute injury against the Patriots. Lock has been recovering from a right elbow injury suffered in a rainy practice and has thrown little since; Macdonald said he is able to throw and the team will manage it. Jalen Milroe will back up Lock, and the team could add another quarterback before Sunday. In Week 2, Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-7 win over Arizona.

The Washington Post, the left-leaning outlet here, uses a plain headline and opening saying Darnold is ruled out with a quad injury. In the text provided, it does not mention the rib, Lock's elbow, the injured-reserve decision or a return date. Right-leaning outlets add more detail and a note of concern. The New York Post calls it a "sudden" injury worry, then covers the rib, week-to-week status, Week 10 possibility, Lock's Week 2 stats and Macdonald's expression of confidence. Fox News opens with the Bears loss and a panel asking whether to worry about Darnold. Its headline hedges that Lock starts "probably, maybe", and it stresses uncertainty over Lock's elbow. All agree on the quad injury, Lock starting, Milroe backing up and Macdonald as the source. ESPN and Yahoo Sports largely match the basic account, with Yahoo adding the rib.